Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-14
MR. HALLS DEFENSE.
e. NJ. Hall, Commissioner of the Gen.
eral Land Office, Replies 80 an
Article from the Cresset.
\ Complete History of the transactions
UcnEected with the School Lands
In Knox County.

10 the Editor OF the Gazette.
DEAR SIR-In answer TO a recent article
IN your paper copied from the Seymour
Cresset, rejecting il unmeasured terms
unon my honor IS man and my Official
integrity. / beg leave to submit to you
for publication the following complete
history Of the transactions connected with
the school lands in Knox county, which
are the subject of and cause OF SAID arti-
Gle:
the established reputation Of your
paper for candor and justice assures me
thai this communication will promptly
have your kindest attention.
Under set Of April 6, 1881, the school
lands in Knox county were valued, and
about one-h&if embraced i'll ssid valuation
were withheld from the market On &C
count Of 3 conflict between sur
veys IN blocks a and 10, Hons.
ton and Texas Central RsRFssY
Company, and blocks = and ,, DeA$s and
Wichita Railway Company, and tie sur
veyor OF Baylor land district and tressS
urer notified accordingly. See certified
| c by OF letter herewith attached, msrHa
! "EXhibit A" In December, l862fssthe
. T.
! applications for twelve (l2) sections in
/ block A, Houston and Texas Central
! Railway Company, Knox county, and the
/ treasurer received same and issued his
receipts OF first payment on the pod Of
/ Ja}uery, 1883. Said applications with
! the tirst payment receipts were forwarded
| to this Ctice, but On account of conflict
with Dslles and Wichita halfway Com
pzny's surveys, certificates OF payment
were refused by the Commissioner, w.
! c Walsh, and seid applications, together
with treasurer's receipts were tied up III
! General Lend Office until May t, 1856,
when certificates of first payment were
f! issued by Commissioner " c. Walsh, with
memorandum on back "issued subject TO
decision of the courts in suit now pend
ing" which suit involved the question Of
conflict.
In December, 1882, W. E. R4yner, by
virtue of power of attorney from B. +.
! Murphy, w. Il. james, Paul Dammann,
Charles Shueber, A. G. Walker, Jesse
Gordin or Goodin, Martin Casey, Charles
Mitchell and j. II Neal, authorizing him
ia lie on seven sections each of STATE
school lands, in accordance with set OF
April 6, 1881, (see p. 9 in file ,227( filed
with the district surveyor OF Baylor lGnC
district, forty applications covering forty
sections in block 10, Houston and Texas
Central Railroad Company, KNOX county,
sigued by said Rayner as attorney in fac
for above named parties.
Said applications were received by the
surveyor aud duly recorded. Ga Marcel
-, 1883, W. L. R.yner presented sale
applications, together with first paymen
to the treasurer, which were rejected BY
him on the grounds that the Commission
er o; the General Land Office would no
issue certificates on treasurer's receipt!
on account of conflict. Treasurer ther
gave NJ Rayner certificate of tender o
| first payment, setting forth his reason
for refusing same; also applications fol
fifteen sections in name of Thomas B
Blake o., NJ. G. Humphrey %
j. B. Kirkland (S), dated January I, 1883
which were signed by applicants, bu
presented by Mr.. Rayner witt
! the forty as above stated, and were dis
. posed OF in like manner by the Treasurer
t Ga the 5th day Of January, 1887, sail
applications were presented TO the Treas
urer and refused, unless the Commits
2 sicner of the General Land Office woult
agree to issue his certificates on same
On The same day the Commissioner sc
: dressed 8 letter 10 Hon. r X Lubbock
! Treasurer, Informing him that he woul
issue certificates. (See certified copy G
! letter herewith attached, marked "exhlbi
, b. On the 18th OF Jaruary, 1887, Treas
= urer Lubbock issued mis- receipts Q
/ fret payment, and sent same {
the General Lard Office, whic
, were received and certificates issue
: IN lieu, on the Sth Of January, 1897, witt
5 ne following Endorsement on back
Issued subject to decision OF the court
] IN Case now pending"
Commissioner Walsh, think, based HI
: seton on section I, page los, Genera
= La@s # Teyas; approved April l., !SS.
e TIE foregoing embraces siXty-stYe
e sectors purchased under set OF April
} 1881; tmeIve sections II block II; fifty
: fye sections in block 40, all il Kno
: county.
: The land board hss received appiica
s items, ald made awards under acs c
o April, 1888, for eli or part Of thirty -eigh
t (3S) of the shove siXty-sevel sectio,
b applied for under act Of April 6, 1881
e and the records now show that the Ian
d has been sold twice.
e Five Of said claims purchased uude
= act OF 1888, have been cancelled. al
T money refunded, By authority "a Il